| The purpose of this study was to determine if the performance of a v-axis washing machine was comparable to that of an h-axis washing machine when 55% cotton/45% polyester men's durable-press dress shirts were used as test specimens and when dimensional stability and appearance retention were examined.; For the dimensional stability portion of the experiment, each shirt was measured for the center back length, the back width, the collar neckband, the left sleeve length and the right sleeve length. The shirts were measured before the initial wash. They were then remeasured after 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 washes to determine if any shrinkage or growth had occurred.; For the appearance retention portion of the experiment, each shirt was rated by three raters trained by the JCPenney Research and Technology to rate for general appearance retention. The shirts were compared to fabric replicas and photographic standards to get a score. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |